Teko Modise’s season could be over after the veteran midfielder suffered a hip injury in training last week and doctors have booked him off for the foreseeable future.
Modise’s injury occurred right under the eyes of the media‚ who were invited to attend City’s training last Thursday as the club prepared for Sunday’s Nedbank Cup quarterfinal at home to Mamelodi Sundowns.
“I told you at the time he was just resting as a precaution‚” coach Benni McCarthy said‚ admitting lying to the media after the 2-1 loss on Sunday‚ adding: “But I knew immediately he would be out.”
It seems the innocuous training ground strain is much more serious than originally anticipated and could see Modise miss the rest of the campaign.
McCarthy told TimesLIVE it was a possible tear in the hip/groin area and that he expects Modise to be out for a while.
With just six matches – and as many weeks – left in the campaign for the Cape Town club‚ who host Lamontville Golden Arrows in the Mother City on Wednesday night‚ the temptation might be to allow Modise time to heal and not use him again in this season.
“He has one more season on his contract and we definitely want him for the next campaign‚” added McCarthy.
The injury is a blow to both club and player as Modise was going through a purple patch in recent months and won several man-of-the-match awards for his performances in both the league and cup.
The 35-year-old has started 16 league and cup games and scored one goal in his first season at City since moving on a free transfer from Mamelodi Sundowns.
